Years ago, an NEA team member worked for a large auto insurance company as a claims service representative. He was part of the front line team responsible for taking accident reports from the company’s customers. It was a low-paying, high-stress job, held by a motley crew of college students, teachers, and working Moms.

In ancient Greece, the famed philosopher Diogenes walked the daylight streets with a lantern in search of an honest man. In your work as a business professional, do you ever feel the same way . . . that way too many of your customers have lost touch with the truth? If so, you’re not alone.

Imagine this: You love your business. You’ve invested years of your life and a lot of money into making it successful. So you’re not happy to discover that a former business partner (now a competitor) has begun badmouthing you on the Internet. In fact, he’s pretending to be a customer and has posted negative reviews about you on review sites.

Did you ever need to buy something fast? No problem. Just Google it or look it up on Amazon.com. Scan for the best price. Then enter your credit card number and click “buy.” Done deal. No fuss, no muss! This approach works fine . . . until you pick a firm that turns out to be incompetent or criminal. So protect yourself. Do your “due diligence” before you buy. A little sleuthing up front can prevent big problems later.

Life insurance companies offer retained asset accounts (RAAs) as a convenience to beneficiaries upon the death of an insured. However, this past summer, RAAs drew controversy after the publication Bloomberg Markets raised questions about the interest rates paid, whether beneficiaries truly understood their options, and the guarantees that apply to policy proceeds. Since then, state regulators have begun to issue guidelines, while the National Association of Insurance Commissions (NAIC) has begun drafting a model law.